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Legislative Council - Fifty-First Parliament, Third Session (51-3)
2009-05-13 Daily Xml
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WASTE COLLECTION

The Hon. D.G.E. HOOD (15:19): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Minister for State/Local Government Relations a question about rubbish collection.

Leave granted.

The Hon. D.G.E. HOOD: The Hon. Mr Wade asked a question on this topic yesterday, but my question comes from a different angle. Regulation 4(2) of the Public and Environmental Health (General) Regulations 2006 requires that an owner of premises must take reasonable steps to ensure that refuse on the premises that is capable of causing an insanitary condition is disposed of as often as may be appropriate, 'but in any event at least once a week'.

Interestingly, however, the Public and Environmental Health Act 1987 names the authority for policing the regulation as the local council for the area. My questions are:

1. Does the minister agree that it is inappropriate for councils to be planning to switch to fortnightly garbage collections when the regulations also make them responsible for fining people who fail to put their garbage out on a weekly basis?

2. Will the minister enforce the current government regulations and ensure that garbage collections occur on a weekly basis, which is the current position?

The Hon. G.E. GAGO (Minister for State/Local Government Relations, Minister for the Status of Women, Minister for Consumer Affairs, Minister for Government Enterprises, Minister Assisting the Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Energy) (15:21): I answered this question yesterday. As a former minister for the environment, I commend the councils that are participating in the waste trials and the ratepayers who are supporting those trials. We are all well aware of the importance of recycling in terms of environmental benefits in reducing carbon emissions and also reducing our reliance on the use of raw materials when we can re-use previously used materials.

This initiative is to be commended. It is a good policy principle. In terms of operational matters, a number of details needed to be worked through and that is why this was set up as a voluntary pilot. Councils were not required or obliged to participate; they did so voluntarily, and through their participation in those trials various issues came to light. This is exactly why the trials were set up in the first place. So, they have served a valuable purpose to identify issues, heighten public awareness and encourage public engagement and consultation around those issues, and that is exactly what is occurring.

Regarding the health regulations referred to by the honourable member today and yesterday by the Hon. Stephen Wade, I have already put on the record that this is the responsibility of the Minister for Health. In respect of any of the operational details of the waste pilots, the lead agency for that is Zero Waste and the lead minister is the Hon. Jay Weatherill.

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